


Colors

by AimeePiggy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Blind Character, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, blind Tony, on a current hiatus for reasons, some other characters are there but they're really not mentioned that much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AimeePiggy/pseuds/AimeePiggy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is blind and wants to learn more about something he'll never get to see: Colors.</p>
<p>*** On Hiatus, but comments and kudos motivate me to write more! Don't be shy! ***</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Red

Tony gave a small groan in frustration as he used his cane to locate his glasses. It was the third time that day that someone had purposely bumped into him and made them fall to the ground.

When he got home late, he would have to explain to Howard what happened. And every time, he would get the answer, “Well this wouldn’t happen if you went to a school for people like you!” Tony would usually just stay quiet and think about Howard’s words. “People like you,” Tony would scoff once he was in the safety of his room, completely alone. “He makes it sound like it’s a bad thing to be blind… At least I don’t have to see his ugly face…” He would continue.

Now he found himself on the ground, blindly searching for his sunglasses. He sat up immediately though, when he heard messy footsteps coming up behind him. He was ready to get yelled at for still being on campus this late, but when he heard the shuffle of clothes and someone sitting down beside him, he looked in that direction, his eyes squinting a bit in confusion.

“Are you missing something?” A soft, gentle voice asked. Tony didn't expect his glasses to be pressed into his hands. He certainly didn't expect this stranger's voice to make him warm all over either. 

“I, uh… Yeah. Thanks.” Tony murmured, putting the glasses on quickly in order to hide his absent blue eyes. He used his cane and found a wall, pushing himself up. “What's your name?” The teenager asked, talking to the space in front of him, which was empty, and definitely not the person who had helped him.

Steve smiled warmly at that, pushing himself up as well. “Steve Rogers.” He said cheerfully, sounding glad to have helped. Rogers chuckled lightly as Tony continued to look at the empty space in front of him. He walked forward a few steps and pressed a hand to Tony’s shoulder to help him turn towards him. Tony looked in his general direction, an embarrassed blush creeping across his face.

“Well, thank you, Steve. I’ll be on my way now.” Tony replied, a smile on his face. Within moments, Tony was gone, on his way home. 

—

It was a few days later when Tony found himself sitting in the library, just for kicks. A blind man sits in a library. Sounded like a punchline to a joke. He stared out the window, his eyes closed in relaxation, enjoying the way that the sun felt on his skin.

“Excuse me? Can I sit here?” A voice asked, and Tony turned to the source, recognizing the other's voice within a few seconds of thinking.

"Yeah, sure." Tony nodded, turning back to the window. 

Steve nodded and sat down, looking out the window as well, watching as people passed and other's stopped to talk to their friends. “Thanks. Tony, Right?” It sounded as if they were longtime friends.

Steve had started to introduce him to his friends. There was a woman named Natasha. She was silent and quick; Not a great combination with a blind friend. There was Thor, who was loud and boisterous, and Bruce, who wasn't as loud as Thor, but not as quiet as Nat. There was Clint, who sounded like an ass, but always smelled like coffee, so there was at least one upside to him. There was Tony, blind yet enthusiastic. And then there was Steve. Steve who sounded wonderful and say with him in the sun and was warm as a summer's day. Steve who had been kind enough to actually stop and help him and give him more friends. 

A band of misfits were they. 

—

“Describe the color red to me.” Tony requested suddenly one day, his tone holding no humor like it usually did.

It had been some time since Steve had first spoken to him, and by this point, they considered each other good friends. Ever since that first day, something inside of Tony clicked, like he had found his missing piece. But he wouldn't tell Steve that. He liked their friendship a lot more than he wanted to say. 

“What?” Steve asked, tilting his head to the side, a bit confused. How was he supposed to describe a color to someone?

“Red. The color red. I wanna know what it looks like, art boy.”

Steve couldn't help but chuckle. Tony could be really straight-forward with what he wanted. Steve took a moment to think, assuring him that he was thinking and that he wasn't just writing him off as nothing. 

“Well, it’s… It’s like when you get really angry. Seething. When you can feel the heat coming off of your body. You can just feel yourself getting closer and closer to blowing up, like a volcano. It could also be the way you feel when you succeed in something. It could be good and vibrant and... It’s spicy, it’s fast, it’s warm. When you get embarrassed, it's that color. The color that paints your cheeks and your ears and makes you feel hot all over. It's the color that can eat you up. 

“But it's the way you feel when you’re around /that/ person, and your chest just flutters in the right way, and you feel your face heat up, but in a good way. The way you feel when they say ‘I love you’ and when they’re close to you and everything feels right in the world. It's the way your chest feels when they say good morning to you, and you have butterflies in your chest because someone can make you feel so warm and happy inside…” Steve murmured, trailing off.

Tony smiled softly and hummed. He found a word to describe how he felt about Steve.

He felt red.


	2. Orange

Most of the days were the same. Steve would come into the library and sit next to Tony, and they would talk. Some days, Steve would bring his friends and they would talk about life or the shitty homework that Ms. Prince would give them over the weekend or the new ballet routine Natasha was given to practice. Sometimes, she would show them. It wasn't like it mattered to Tony; He couldn't see it. But he was sure that it was beautiful.

Sometimes they would just talk about the weather. Other times, Clint would talk about which set of stairs he managed to fall down that week, the dumb ass he was. Pepper would talk to him about her business and ethics class. Rhodey would make jokes and would make everyone laugh. Thor would talk about what prank his brother decided to play on him that morning while he was getting ready for school. Everything was so simple this way.

But when it was just Steve and Tony, their conversations would get more in depth. Most of the time, it was just them. Clint had archery, Bruce was tutoring kids, Natasha had ballet, Thor had to make sure that his brother got home okay, Rhodey and Pepper had classes on the other side of the school, so they were rarely in the library. But it wasn't like Tony minded. He liked their conversations. He liked when they would talk about the impossible. They got to know each other more and more with every possible situation.

They would go on to talk about what would happen if they were born in different lives. One time, Tony brought up a universe where they were cowboys. Steve thought of one where they were superheroes. That one, Tony thought, was too far-fetched. Superheroes weren't real. 

But if they were, Tony would be the best one. He would be a total bad ass. Even Steve agreed. 

\- 

"Orange," Tony demanded one morning when Steve settled in the seat next to him. It wasn't as bright today. The sun didn't warm Tony's skin like it usually did, so it meant that it was either cloudy or storming. Tony ruled it to be just cloudy because there wasn't the sound of rain pelting the windows. 

"What?" Steve asked, pulling a blue, plastic chair up next to Tony's so Steve could sit with him. 

"You 'member when you described the color red to me a few days ago? Well, now I want orange. I want to know what it looks like," Tony clarified. His cane was resting against the table next to him. There were people chittering and chattering about to themselves and others, but it was quiet. Of course it was. It was a library. 

"Oh... Uh, well, alright. Sure," Steve agreed. He was quiet after a moment. He usually was after Tony asked him a question that required him to think. This took longer than red, though. It made Tony feel a little uncertain. Maybe he'd asked a complicated question. 

However, his worries were put to rest when Steve spoke again. "It's warm," He started, "It's calm and sweet, like the sun at the end of the day. Uh, y'know the way that fruit smells right before it goes bad? When it's at it's peak?" Steve asked, continuing when he got an affirmative nod. "It's like that. It's the fire of a passionate spirit." Tony's face felt a little warm. 

"It's the liveliness of a summer's day, when everyone is outside and having fun and playing. It's softer than red. It's smooth and bright and bold. Orange is assertive, but not aggressive like red." Steve smiled a little, looking over at Tony. His eyes were closed and his eye brows were drawn together in concentration, trying to piece together Steve's words and create a picture. 

"It's... It's when the person that you love teases you, but in a good way. It's not the burning love for the person that you feel when you're red. It's the way you feel when your heart is racing, but in a way that makes you feel complete," Steve was starting to lean forwards a little. Tony turned his head in his direction, his face relaxing. "It's the feeling you have after you take a risk. When your whole body is numb and warm and nothing makes sense, but at the same time, it all comes together perfectly..." He trailed off, one hand coming up to cup Tony's cheek. 

Tony's mouth cracked open a little at the warmth against the skin. He was like the sun. Steve was calm and sweet. He was bright and assertive. 

Before Tony could ask him what he was doing, Steve pressed his lips to his gently, but boldly. 

A risk... 

Steve's presence against him, Tony decided, was orange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to do the rest of the rainbow, and maybe some other colors :)


	3. Yellow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i asked my friends for descriptions of yellow. my friend lily said, "yellow is......... .................. ............ ........ .............. ....... . ....... ............ ............................... ................... ......... ........... ....... slimeman"
> 
> i also am not writing very good lately but i didn't want to leave this alone so :/  
> writer's block is hell

Steve had kissed him. 

That had happened. It scared Tony a little to know that they weren't just friends anymore. They were something else. What they were though... Tony wasn't sure. They hadn't talked all that much after Steve had kissed him. That scared Tony even more. 

It had been a few days of just sitting in the library alone, no Steve, no friends, and no colors. Tony had spent days sitting by his phone, waiting to hear a chirp from it, waiting for Steve to text him or to call him or /something/. But nothing came. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe they shouldn't have kissed. Tony should have pushed him away or something. 

It was a Wednesday and Tony was about to get up and leave to navigate to his first period when he felt a hand on his arm, stopping him from moving. It wasn't difficult to figure out whose hand it was. It was the same one that had cupped his cheek days before. It was the same hand that had helped him up a few months back. 

Steve. Again. 

"I'm sorry for avoiding you," Steve said bluntly, taking his usual seat next to him. He wasn't facing Tony. His voice wasn't as loud as it was when he spoke directly to him. Tony could understand why he wasn't looking at him. It must have been awkward. "It's been... A hectic week." Huh. So that was his excuse for skipping out on seeing him. Tony rolled his eyes from behind his glasses, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Steve must have sensed that Tony didn't believe him because within a few seconds, he started to talk again. "It really has--But, that's not the point. I came here to clean things up," Steve was turned to him now. Tony could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "I really," A pause. "I really like you, Tony. I mean, obviously. That's why I kissed you, but I just... I wasn't sure how you felt about it," Steve ended. 

Tony took in a deep breath, sighing quietly. He reached over with little hesitation and managed to grab Steve's hand--A miracle in itself. "I like you too, Steve. I mean, obviously. I didn't like... Push you away or anything when you kissed me." He rolled his eyes even if Steve couldn't see it. 

Steve was quiet for a long moment and didn't say anything, seeming to settle with the information as he absorbed it. Nothing really happened for a while until Tony felt the tension seep out of Steve's shoulders. They sat in silence as minutes passed. It wasn't uncomfortable. It was just relaxing. After a while, Tony spoke up. "Yellow," He said simply as he blinked from behind his glasses. 

"What?" Came Steve's confused voice a beat after, 

"You know. The color yellow. Tell me about it." Tony held onto his hand still, stroking his thumb over Steve's knuckles gently. 

"Oh. Alright." Steve managed a small smile. It showed through his voice. "It's the color of happiness and optimism, the color of enlightenment and creativity. It's like sunshine and spring. Sometimes it's sour. It's exciting without being loud or angry. Yellow is the warm sun while a cool breeze blows on your face." It was then that Steve blew air into Tony's face. They both laughed before Steve continued to speak. 

"Yellow is like springtime. It's a light-hearted and happy color. It's the smell of flowers, the taste of citrus. It's the sound of birds chirping, and it's the fields of wheat before the harvest. 

"It's... it's caution. It's when someone can't make a decision so they decide to yield and wait for something else to happen," he explained quietly. There was a small tone of remorse in his voice. There was a part of Tony's being that wanted to lay his head on Steve's shoulder, so he did, resting there peacefully. 

Steve's absence from him had been yellow.


	4. Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everyone sticking by through my erratic posting :) 
> 
> I would also like to thank my friend Sophia for giving me the inspiration to actually post and finish this chapter. I've been in a funk lately.

Junior year was almost over. They were 'practically seniors', like all the teachers were telling them. The thought of graduation didn't stir any butterflies in Tony's stomach, but it certainly did for Steve. He'd voiced this many times, saying things like, "Do you think we'll get more homework," or "Do you think that they'll teach me how to balance a checkbook?" (Tony taught him how to do the latter a few days later)

To be honest, Tony really didn't know what he was expecting. He just went with the flow most of the time. School was easy enough. Being set up for running his father's company was what was really challenging. There was a lot of... Seeing that was involved with being an engineer. A lot of being able to look your competitor in the eye and tell them that they were going to lose. No one really wanted to look at Tony's eyes, he found. Tony had been told that they were an unfocused milky-blue color (Steve had put it better words. Ones that didn't make it sound so unpleasant). Tony tried to imagine it, but nothing really came together in his head properly.

However, between school and half-listening to his father explain the company to him, Tony found just enough time to squeeze dates with Steve here and there. So far, they'd went out to breakfast together at some French place in Times Square. Steve had read him the menu and had told him what everything meant. They'd gone to the drive in movies where Steve and him had made out in the back seat of Steve's second hand car the entire time instead of listening to the movie. Hell, Tony was just about positive that Steve hadn't even tuned in to the right radio channel. 

They'd attended a private tour of the MOMA. Steve spent the entire tour in silence, leading Tony around. It wasn't like Tony minded much. As long as Steve was happy, so was he. 

They'd seen each other quite often after school, actually. The day usually ended with no homework done and Jarvis knocking on Steve's apartment door to get Tony home because, "It's quite late, Sir."

Steve's mother usually wasn't home. According to his boyfriend (his _boyfriend!_ ), she worked a lot at the hospital to take care of herself and Steve since his father had left them. Tony wanted to meet her, but he never really had the time, and it seemed that she didn't either. Steve hadn't met Tony's parents, but he had a good reason. When Howard wasn't working or teaching Tony how to work, he and Maria were either at some gala or out of state for a Stark Convention. During that time, it was just him and Jarvis, and sometimes Anna if she wanted to tag along for the day too. 

So between their dates and personal life, time had stretched on until it had been nearly three months since Steve and Tony had started dating. A damn good three months, if Tony had to say so himself. 

Until Steve had started to become busy.

It was the end of the year. Tony understood. Teachers were assigning more and more projects and copious amounts of book-work as they tried to meet the goals that they had set at the beginning of the year, so Steve had been kept busy, but it wasn't fair that he spent more time with his other friends. Even on weekends, when Tony would text him to ask to hang out, Steve would say that he was busy. At this rate, by the end of the month, Tony would hate the automated voice that read him his texts. It always seemed to bring bad news. Between Steve denying dates and Howard telling him to get ready for yet another family outing, Tony was feeling like nothing good could come from the ping on his phone anymore. 

* * *

 Tony had missed the colors. Steve made them sound vibrant and exciting and oh so enticing. But he'd been busy lately. Too busy to tell him about them, even over text it seemed. So eventually, Tony decided to take it into his own hands. He searched up how to describe the color green, but all that he got from it was a mix of "bright" and "peaceful" and "nature".

That wasn't what Tony was feeling at all. 

Tony was sour and acrid. It felt like there was a lemon lodged in the back of his throat, creating an awful pungent sensation that radiated from his entire body. It was like he'd been caught cheating on a test. 

Tony felt dizzy, like he was going to throw up, but not from sickness. From anger and upset and panic. He felt as if he had been bathed in a pit of poison oak and his body was covered in leaves and sticks and the beginnings of sores. 

As selfish as it sounded, Tony felt possessive. Steve was his. His boyfriend and his best friend. His thesaurus and artist. He knew that, logically, Steve had other friends, but it itched at something in Tony to know that he was with someone else, even if they were just friends. He couldn't help feeling like this when Steve was too busy for him, but not for others. He couldn't help but feel jealous. 

* * *

 Monday was as boring as ever. Tony woke at an ungodly hour to get ready for school. He dressed himself, brushed his teeth, styled his hair expertly, and nearly forgot his glasses and cane for the millionth time (he was only reminded when Jarvis had pressed them into his palms before they had left). It was a short drive to school. Ten minutes at most. Tony said his goodbye to Jarvis once they'd arrived. 

It was only a few more minutes before Tony's cane was tapping against the library doors. He pushed it open, greeted by the ever-present chatter of other students. He took a seat at his table, crossing his ankles as he waited for Steve. 

But when he didn't show up, Tony couldn't help the same bitterness that flooded his mouth. He had the voice on his phone tell him the time. He had five minutes before he had to go to his first class. The teen stood, grabbing his cane in his fist. 

It wasn't hard to locate Steve. It seemed as if all of their friends lockers were bunched together on the farthest end of the school. Once he was close enough, Steve's laughter drifted to Tony's ears. Warmth tried to flood his chest, but Tony quickly stamped it out because  _he wasn't the one making Steve laugh._

"Hey, Stark, you just missed--" Clint was trying to talk to him, but Tony completely dismissed him, cutting him off with words sharp enough to cut glass. 

"You," Tony pointed to Steve with the end of his cane, scowling. "You tell me that you don't have time. You don't have time to go out, you don't have time to stay in, you don't have time for  _me._ It's not fair." The group was silent around them. Tony didn't have to see to be able to tell that they were all staring at him. "And then you--Then you do this?" He said, incredulous, whipping his cane through the air, narrowly missing someone's head, Thor probably since there was no objections. Only silence. 

"Tony, listen," Steve started. He didn't make it very far into his excuse before Tony was shaking his head, taking a step away. 

"No. I'm not going to  _listen,_ " Tony mocked, a scowl etched into his features. "It isn't fair. It's not fair that I gotta be put on stand by for when you want to come back and spend time with me. I just want to... I just want to hang out with you, and you just want to do something else." 

"You... Ugh! You make me feel so green!" Tony huffed with anger, casting his cane away before storming in the other direction. His feet shuffled as he walked since he didn't have a lead to guide the way with confidence, but the sound was swallowed up by the unstoppable barrage of voices around them, which ended up drowning out any of Steve's words as well. 

The taste in his mouth and feeling in heart as he walked away, Tony knew, was green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was honestly one of the hardest chapters to write because all I found for describing green was a bunch of hoo-ha happy words. I wanted this chapter to be a little more... Green, I guess.
> 
> Feel free to yell at me to update more often on my tumblr :) chriseevanss.tumblr.com


	5. Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied about getting on a schedule and I probably never will but thank you for waiting this long for an update! I'm sorry for taking so long! 
> 
> On another note, should I do a chapter on Indigo? If not, I'll go to purple, then black and white, and I'll probably end up taking requests on other colors after that!

For the first time in days, Tony’s phone was buzzing. He’d only been in California for a few hours and so far, it seemed like everyone was worried about him. Especially Steve. He'd apologized, of course. He hadn't realized how much time he'd been spending away, and certainly now he felt horrible. Especially since Tony had been so worked up over it and angry about it. Steve had told him that when he came back, Steve had his cane and would gladly return it. That wasn't so bad. It was at least a promise that they weren't quite done.

Which was good.

Tony felt stupid at his overreaction. He should have just spoken about it. He should have brought it up with Steve. That was how relationships worked. At least he had something to work towards. Communication is key. Tony just had to keep that in mind.

 

* * *

 

The weather was nice on the terrace. It was breezy, and a little cloudy, and a little cold. It reminded him of the fall weather in New York when it was nice. It wasn’t raining yet. It probably would later, if Tony stuck around long enough to see it. Steve would like it here, he thought.

Steve would be here telling him how it looked. Maybe describing a color to him.

Hell, that was one thing to kill time with; especially if he was going to think about it on his own. What color was he on again? Blue? Maybe the internet wouldn’t fail him again this time.

Tony tapped his fingers on the rough, jagged edge of the terrace as he waited for the page to load. Almost immediately, the text reader on the phone began to start up with words such as “cool” or “quiet” or “light,” which Tony supposed were right. They seemed like an alright description. He’d heard people call blue the color of the ocean or the sky.

Maybe the smell of salt in the air from the beach was the smell of blue. Maybe it was the feeling of ice or the breeze in the air. Maybe the feeling in his chest from earlier (when he had been so terribly upset with Steve) was blue.

A few raindrops landed on Tony’s head, snapping him out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times, as if that would re-awaken his eyes and allow him to see the oncoming storm.

It didn’t.

Instead, the rain just continued its gentle pitter-patter on the terrace. Tony stood, grabbing his phone. He was inside and in the comfort of his bed in a rush of movements and shuffles. Rain tapped on the window of Tony’s room, and for a moment, he entertained the idea of opening it. Howard would kill him for soaking the carpet, though.

Tony turned on the text-to-voice application again once he was sitting upright on his bed, listening closely as the descriptions went on.

He listened for a few more minutes until there was a rumble of thunder across the sky. This storm definitely was blue. Tony didn’t quite know what it looked like, but he was sure that lighting was the color of blue. It was sudden and bright, but silent and stunning.

Tony flopped back on the mattress, his fingers tracing the seams in the comforter. His eyes were closed as he listened to the rumbling of thunder, the tip-tap of raindrops on the windows, and the crashing of waves outside.

Steve had told him once that his eyes were blue, but they weren’t the same as the storm outside. No. That was probably a dark blue. Steve was… Steve was strong and dependable and smart and loyal. His eyes were bright and happy, maybe icy, but not in a bad way.

His eyes weren’t the same blue that was in his chest. He felt… Sad. Empty. A little disappointed, with himself, and just overall upset. Maybe that was why people called it feeling “blue.”

But still, Tony knew that this blue wasn't the same as the color of Steve's eyes--As Steve.

Steve was denim jeans and the feeling of coming home after a long day. Steve was cold toes under the blankets during a nap. He was the soft sweater that Steve wrapped around him during the cold months of the school year. He was letting go of a breath just before the burning in your lungs began. He was the rush of a river but the gentle sound of a creak and water washing over pebbles at the mouth of a brook.

He was Tony's own Blue Prince. He remembered his mother telling him that story when he was a child. He always assumed that he would be the prince, but he wasn't complaining if Steve was his Prince Charming.

Steve. Who really didn't know what he was doing. Who just wanted to apologize. Who wanted to have Tony come back to New York so they could finally relax and get back to their normal life.

And Tony had left him hanging. He hadn't responded to any of his texts or calls. Steve just wanted to make sure everything was alright, and Tony hadn’t said anything.

The rain pounded on the windows even harder.

At this rate, Tony wasn’t even sure why he was upset either. He had just wanted to spend time with Steve. He could have just asked. He could probably blame it on hormones and being packed in a school with kids he didn’t like and didn’t care about but that would be too cliche of an excuse. Tony had just really been an asshole. He still was being one.

The thought of making Steve upset for the weekend made Tony’s chest clench and his heart stutter along with the never ending pitter-patter of the rain.

Just as Tony reached to set his phone aside, the voice of the woman that Tony had so longed to hear spoke up with a loud and clear “Steve.”

Tony offered a small, but empty smile at the sound of the voice. “Read,” he commanded.

She complied immediately. “Still worried about you, Peach. Call me when you want to talk. Please. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Tony was silent for a long while, simply listening to the rain and the thunder roll across the sky and over the little Malibu getaway. He spoke after a while, his words surprisingly watery. “Call Steve.”

The dial beeped loudly for a few seconds. Tony idly thought that Steve might have thrown his phone out of the window after he sent that text. However, the phone picked up soon enough with Steve’s voice. “Tony?” He asked, his voice clearly full of worry and strain. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Whatever I did--I didn’t mean to,” Steve promised as he listened for anything to tell him that Tony hadn’t called on accident.

 

* * *

 

Tony was quiet. He really should have thought about what he was going to say before he called, but it was too late, he supposed. “Hey. I, uh, wanted to call.” Tony’s voice was a little wobbly, nervous. He really hoped that he hadn’t waited too long to call. “I’m okay, by the way. You don’t have to be worried.” Of course he didn’t. Tony was the one that should have been worried. He could have ended their relationship.

“You sure that you’re okay?” Steve’s voice was crystal clear, as if he was laying right next to him on the bed. But he wasn’t. The space in the bed next to him was cold and empty since Tony decided that in order to ignore his problems, he’d fly across the country to be alone and shut out everyone for a few hours.

“Yeah. Pretty sure. And how about yourself?”

“Worried about you.”

“I promise that I’m okay.” A silence fell between them before Tony spoke up again. “I didn’t mean to freak out the other day. I just… I was lonely.” He sighed, one hand coming up to run through his hair. “I should have told you. I was just… I dunno. I was being stupid. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Wasn’t that a weight off of his chest?

“It’s okay.” Steve wasn’t as angry as Tony thought he would be. “Well, it wasn’t okay, but y’know. I forgive you. I should have been there with you. I know that’s our thing. I should have been spending time with you.”

That was… Good. Better than Tony was hoping for. Better than he thought that he would get. He hadn’t fucked up as bad as he thought that he did. That was good. He was getting pretty damn good at this communication thing.

“So you still have my cane?” Tony smiled a little at that thought.

“Yep. It’s leaning against my bedside table right now. Safe and sound. Clint was totally going to keep it for ransom if I didn’t get it. You almost hit him in the face with it.” Steve chuckled. A warmth spread through Tony’s chest.

“Well, thank you for saving it. I should be back to get it on Sunday.”

“I’ll keep it safe for you,” Steve promised.

 

* * *

 

They ended up talking for another hour. By the time that they ended, it was dark. Well, it was always dark for Tony. But it was 10:43 New York time, which wasn’t that late in Malibu, but he was used to being ahead in time. They said their goodbyes with smiles and kisses.

Just before Tony was going to fall asleep, the woman on his phone chimed in with a gentle “Steve.”

“Goodnight, Tony. See you on Sunday.” The automated voice calmed something in Tony’s chest as she read the text  
The relief that colored his chest was blue.


	6. Indigo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man i'm so sorry for not posting :( 
> 
> also, i'm sorry in advance for all the timeskips. i've been kind of scatter-brained haha

It was mid May, five weeks until the end of the year, seven weeks until graduation, and three weeks until prom. Steve hadn’t asked him out yet, but Tony knew that he had to. He had to, right? Because they were definitely an item, and when you were an item, people did that sappy kind of thing where they asked you out in front of the whole school. But they usually had big posters and flowers and it was more of a reading thing, and while Tony could read, it was only braille.

He tried not to push it too much. The idea of prom was daunting but exciting. Nothing made him feel more important than dressing up and taking pictures for everyone to see. He did it pretty often for Howard's galas. Though, he supposed that he would have to change it up for prom. Maybe get a new suit. An Armani or a Brioni. It all depended on if they were going to do something or not.

 

* * *

 

Bruce was the one to finally bring it up, God bless him.  By this time, pretty much every group in school had an idea of what they were doing except for them.

“Are we doing anything for prom?” Bruce asked at lunch. Much to Tony's relief, there were noises of approval around the table.

“We should,” Nat commented.

“Agreed.” Clint elbowed Tony subtly. Tony shoved him with a roll of his eyes. He skimmed his fingers over his reading, feeling each letter quickly.

“If we're going, we need to make a plan.” Tony pointed out cooly. He was pretty sure no one could tell that he had been thinking about this for a few days. Three weeks wasn't a lot of time to get things together, so he wasn't sure how amazing it would be.

“Can I be in charge of making the group chat? Please, please, please  with a cherry on top?” Clint begged, grabbing Steve's arm and pulling him back and forth repeatedly like a child wanting their mother's attention.

Tony laughed at that. The last time that Clint was in charge of making the group chat, the only other admin was Natasha, and together, they were ruthless. Steve had been kicked out a total of thirteen times because he wouldn’t apologize to Clint for saying that purple wasn’t even a good color and the name was changed six different times.

“Fine. But you have to make me an admin too,” Steve insisted and made an indignant noise when Clint cackled and shoved Thor over so he could sit next to Natasha to get to work on making this the toughest prom planning yet.

 

* * *

 

“Does this look okay?” Tony asked as he smoothed down the front of his suit.

“Of course it does, Tony. When do you not look okay?” Rhodey rolled his eyes fondly and stepped forward to center the dimple of Tony’s tie. He and Steve decided to go with indigo. Steve said that it would look great on him, and Tony trusted his judgement.

“Good question. The answer is never.” Tony grinned sharply and stood up straight. “Okay. But for real, does everything look okay?” He asked. He didn’t want to let his nervousness show, but prom was a big deal. Everyone always looked amazing and they usually went out for a fancy dinner before or after just because they could.

Their group hadn’t made any plans for dinner, which was probably their only fault. They had just been so caught up in planning rides and colors and corsages and boutonnieres and suit rentals and buying tickets. There was far too much to think about that dinner had kinda fell to the back of everyone’s minds. They’d figure everything out, probably.

“Yes, Tony. It all looks good. Steve will love it.” Rhodey clapped his back and pressed the walking cane into Tony’s hand. “Now, let’s get going. We’ll be late.”

 

* * *

 

Tony eventually decided to go the Brioni route. He chose a charcoal suit with with a navy silk lined interior. Tony’s tie was silver against his indigo button up. His pocket square was silver to match his tie, and he and Steve had ordered matching indigo boutonnieres. It was a little much, but Rhodey told him that it would look fantastic. And it did, if Steve’s voice was anything to go by.

“Tony, holy shit.” Steve’s grin was able to be heard through his voice as he helped Tony out of Rhodey’s jeep. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks. I’m sure that you do too.” Tony flashed a cheesy smile and linked arms with Steve. They were going to take pictures, but they had to wait for everyone to get there. They’d chosen to take pictures in a green, wide area lined with winding paths and flower bushes and trees and fountains, little (obviously fake, but still pretty) lakes, stone benches, fire pits, and even a gazebo covered in vines and blooming pink flowers. It had just about everything that they could imagine, and in mid May, when it was just the right temperature and the flowers were bright and vivid, everything was perfect.

They split off into different groups to take pictures. Steve led Tony to a gazebo, the entire time describing the stonework on the ground that they were currently walking on, the flowers and trees and bushes around, the shape and colors of the woodwork. It made Tony laugh. He could hear the click and the flash of the camera several times, but it took a backseat to Steve’s voice.

“There’s a real beautiful guy here,” Steve’s voice sounded warm and soothing. “He’s got a really, really nice suit. I mean, a really, really stunning suit.” They both laughed. “Perfect hair. A perfect smile. Nice color coordination. But it feels like something’s missing.”

Steve pulled back with a small murmur of ‘hold on’ and returned just seconds later with their boutonnieres in their plastic box. “Let’s get this out of the way now, yeah?” Steve popped open the box and guided Tony’s hand so he could grab the safety pin and the small, indigo rose bud from the box. Steve took the other pin and boutonniere and smiled warmly at Tony even if he couldn’t see it. “You look so beautiful,” he whispered.

Tony’s lips twitched up into a soft smile. “You look good too.” He didn’t even have to see to know that Steve looked beautiful. He had to. “Let’s do this, then.” Tony stepped up close, his free hand feeling over Steve’s chest until his fingers caught the edge of his lapel. He felt Steve do the same and with deft fingers and a few seconds, they both had their flowers pinned to their suits. Tony kept his fingers curled around Steve’s lapel. Steve’s hand slid around Tony’s waist and eventually, they were kissing tenderly. They broke apart with a breathless laugh when a cacophony of whistles and shouting came their way.

“Shall we get going?” Steve’s voice was solid and breathless when it reached Tony’s ears. Tony nodded and took his hand.

 

* * *

 

The venue was nice. It was an open, fancy place in upstate New York. There was a balcony for air and an open space inside for people to dance and sway and there was a snack bar setup in case anyone worked up an appetite. Tony really didn’t have time to. He was too busy talking with his friends, dancing with Steve, and telling people his name plus spelling it out. He didn’t really _care_ about being prom king, but according to the school, he couldn’t just blow it off. The people chose him, and when Tony argued that it was just because he was attractive, they had sent him away.

The music around them was loud and there were so many people that Tony thought that he might suffocate. The feeling was soothed slightly when he was put on stage near the end of the night. He knew that he couldn’t have won. In listening to the names of the “competition”, it would only be unfair if he did. He was running against the most popular kids in the school.

“And your Prom King for the 2016-2017 school year is…” An envelope was crinkled open and a paper was produced. “Remy Lebeau! Congratulations!” People cheered and soon after, the Prom Queen was announced, and obviously it was his girlfriend. Tony was helped off of the stage and grinned when Steve’s hands settled on Tony’s forearms.

“You got third, baby. You looked so good up there!” Steve’s voice was excited and proud and warm and it made Tony feel proud of himself in turn.

“Thanks.” Tony’s cheeks hurt with the sheer size of the smile on his face. “We all know Remy won because of his accent anyways. I didn’t stand a chance.” Tony laughed and so did Steve. They stood for a few moments just holding each other. Tony didn’t mind it. It wasn’t awkward. It was sweet.

“Let’s dance,” Tony suggested, tugging Steve towards the dance floor where there were too many couples to count. Everyone was swaying and Tony could hear the quiet mumbles of people talking lovingly to each other.

Sure, he didn’t win prom king, but with Steve’s arm wrapped around his waist and Tony’s head pillowed on Steve’s chest, it didn’t matter. All he needed was Steve. Swaying with Steve like this felt like a calmness during a moment of passion. He felt like jumping and laughing and his cheeks were starting to hurt because of how big he was smiling. The sensation seated deep in his chest right then was warmth; warmth so charged that he wanted to wrap himself up in it and never leave.

“Steve,” Tony murmured, his cheek resting on Steve’s collarbone, “Indigo. What does it look like?” He inquired. It _was_ their prom color after all. Everyone just said it was a mix of blue and purple, but Tony’s favorite thing about colors was how Steve described them. It felt right, no matter what he said.

Steve’s chest rumbled with a hum of thought. He was quiet for a few seconds, his hand stroking up and down over Tony’s waist. Eventually, he spoke. “Indigo is… The sky. Right before the sun sets in summer. You know, like, when it’s still warm, but not overwhelmingly. Happiness. Stability.” Steve was quiet for a long enough time that Tony thought he was done, but he spoke again soon. “The feeling you have right after the person you love tells you they love you. It’s cool and calming and kinda… Kinda like molasses? You could be stuck in the moment forever, but it’s not a big deal because the experience is sweet and slow and perfect.”

Tony grinned and pulled back in order to stand up on his tip toes. He pressed a chaste kiss to Steve’s lips.

Steve’s lips turned up into a warm, proud smile.

 

* * *

 

It turned out that Burger King was better after one AM than any of them thought. Prom ended late, but it wasn’t a problem for anyone involved. It was a great time. The city looked amazing and it sparkled. By midnight, most people had gone to their hotel rooms to most likely get drunk or have sex or sleep.

Their group was getting dinner.

At _Burger King_.

It was the closest thing to the venue and it was cheap and still open at the ungodly hour that it was. Tony was exhausted and he could tell that Steve was too. The only thing keeping them awake was the promise of chicken nuggets and overly-salted fries.

He and Steve were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Thor in one half of a booth with Clint, Rhodey and Bruce across from them. Pepper and Natasha were sitting on the side in two pulled up chairs. Between them all was a tray piled high with french fries and chicken nuggets and ketchup, ranch, and honey mustard. Tony could smell the salty, fried scent and it made his stomach growl loudly. They were the only ones in the restaurant, other than the staff, which had mostly disappeared into the back.

“All I’m saying is that Tony totally should have won. He looked amazing up on that stage. Carried himself like a grown man.” Rhodey’s voice was full of pride and warmth as he playfully hit Tony’s shoulder.

Steve’s arm was resting across Tony’s back and his hand took it’s place on Tony’s waist, even as they were sitting. They were practically joined at the hip.

“Oh! Hang on. I’ve got the _best_ idea!” Pepper’s bubbly voice floated over the table as she stood and hurried to the counter. Her words weren’t audible, but the familiar cadence of her voice was identifiable.

“Alright. Tony, hold still.” The smile in her voice was able to be heard, but so was the undertone of tiredness. It seemed to be like that in everyone. They were all absolutely going to sleep in tomorrow.

Tony felt something being strapped around his head and reached a hand up once it stopped moving and felt paper. No, wait -- Cardboard? Steve made a comment about ‘being able to see the gears turning’ in his head, but Tony just continued to try and decipher what it was. After a moment, the pieces clicked. It was a crown. A Burger King crown. He allowed his fingers to trace the outer edge of the cardboard again before letting out a laugh.

“Thanks guys.” Tony announced. He turned a little and reached up to feel at the top of Steve’s head, finding it graced with the same crown. He let out a little, surprised laugh. Steve’s own chuckle echoed along with Tony’s.

“Too cute.” Rhodey cooed over them, no doubt taking a video or snapping pictures. It was obvious that this was a great photo opportunity. Tony, at the moment, felt better than he ever had before. He was happier than he could remember.

Their group split up soon after finished up eating. Rhodey took Pepper and Natasha home while Thor took Clint and Bruce home. Tony called an Uber for him and Steve and they were taken to Tony’s place. His parents weren’t home, per usual.

Tony led him in, closed, and locked the door after them. “Do you want to go change? I think you have a t-shirt or two here. We could settle down and start a movie or something,” Tony suggested as he pulled the cardboard crown off of his head and allowed it to fall to the ground.

“Sounds good,” Steve agreed, no doubt doing the same. He took Tony’s hand and led him to the bedroom even though, between the both of them, they knew that Tony didn’t need someone to lead him around through his own house.

After carefully unpinning and setting aside his boutonniere, Tony slid off the overcoat to his suit and began to slide the hard, plastic buttons through the holes of his soft, smooth button up. He was about two buttons down when he felt warm hands cover his. “Let me get this.” Steve’s voice was deep and suggestive, which had Tony tilting his head up to give him a coy smirk.

“Alright. You get this.” Tony laughed. He shimmied his shoulders and allowed his shirt to fall off once Steve was finished with the buttons. Soon, his undershirt and pants were pulled off as well. Between the undressing was soft, slow kisses and with each additional kiss, fires sparked and grew in each of their bellies.

Within minutes, both were undressed and they were pressed chest-to-chest with each other. Steve’s forehead was pressed to Tony’s as they both panted, their eyes closed and their hands wandering over each other’s arms, waists, hips, shoulders.

“Do you want to…” Steve trailed off and Tony nodded in reply. “Yeah. I do.” He couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face as they fell into bed together.

 

* * *

 

With both of them sweaty and sated, Tony felt that that night was a success. They had a great prom, spent a great time with friends, and had a pretty good night. All while looking fucking amazing. Tony’s head was pillowed on Steve’s chest and Steve’s arm was curled around Tony’s shoulders while the blankets rested around their waists.

“That was good,” Tony murmured. Steve let out a sudden, abrupt chuckle that had Tony laugh as well. He felt bubbly and warm and happy, albeit a little sore. They were quiet for a few more moments, simply listening to the hum of the house, before Steve decided to speak.

“I love you.” Steve’s voice was confident, like his position on that thought would never change. Something in Tony’s chest throbbed, and Tony’s fingers found Steve’s. He linked them together and squeezed Steve’s hand gently.

“Love you too,” Tony murmured quietly, but sweetly. His chest was filled with warmth, buzzing and uplifting him until Tony felt like he might explode. It felt almost like he got struck by a bolt of lightening and the electricity was still thrumming through his veins and into his fingertips and circling back to him from where his and Steve’s hands were joined. It wasn’t overwhelming; instead, it was cool and calm, but still exciting and warm and burning and it felt like a sentence that just kept going on and on until it reached a crescendo and you couldn’t tell if there was supposed to be a comma or a period or a semicolon, but you didn’t care because you didn’t want the sentence to stop.

He was in love.

_This_ was indigo.

Finally, a kiss was pressed to Tony’s head. It was enough to break him out of his thoughts. “I can hear you thinking from here.” Steve chuckled and pressed gentle, chaste kisses down the side of Tony’s face and across his jaw. “What’s going through your mind, huh? What’s the million dollar thought?” Steve inquired with a saccharine tone.

“Nothing. Just… I’m thinking about how much I love you,” Tony replied. It wasn’t a lie. What he was thinking just felt so big and grand and imposing that it made his heart flutter again at the simple thought.

Steve pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips and trailed more down his neck slowly. “Yeah. Me too.” He squeezed Tony’s hand and slipped it out of his grip in favor of wrapping both of his arms around Tony. Tony felt just a little crushed, but he could deal with it. This was what love was, after all.

Tony closed his eyes as Steve’s kisses trailed lower and lower once more followed by Tony’s hands, which were quickly full of short, cropped, blonde hair.

The way that Tony’s chest felt like it would explode when Steve said that he loved him, Tony determined, was absolutely indigo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sjsjsjsjjsjsj sorry for the really really long wait i've been really busy ^^;; haha i'll try to update before next year. 
> 
> But also! only three more chapters left before this series is over >:)
> 
> this is the suit that i imagined that Tony's wearing!  
> https://www.stanleykorshak.com/products/Brioni-Charcoal%20with%20Navy%20Pin%20Stripe%20Suit/24692?gclid=Cj0KEQiAhZPDBRCz642XqYOCpb8BEiQANUcwTyBbz_FhzhaLcCH8FuNe8BFZl95-RED6UoGITMwLzf0aApUP8P8HAQ


	7. Update!

Hey, you guys! I'm so sorry about not updating :( I've been super busy over the last few months and one of my family members passed away early June, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but I'll try to update as soon as I can!!

That being said, I already have the description done for Violet and the basic plot set up, so that's half the battle! Only three more chapters left! Thank you all so much for being patient! Comments fuel my life and give me reason to write and are very, very appreciated. 

Thank you all again ❤


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